Tis the Season....Plein Air Wednesdays starting next week

 I am planning to start, my plein air painting  next week, Wed  April 11 at Ross Dock, the park under the George Washington Bridge, weather permitting.  My original plan was to work my way from south to north focusing on the  Palisades parks and historic sites on Wednesdays. There will be no rain dates but I will try to reschedule any missed sites later in the season.  Going to try to stick to a schedule but everything is subject to change. I have cataract surgery planned for  Tues May 8 and 22 so depending on any restrictions that will put a damper on my plans. I will be posting a tentative schedule shortly.  More details about next week to be posted by this weekend.

Painting in Warwick Thursday

My head is spinning over all the work I have to do around the house. Being a city kid yard work is not in my vernacular also make no bones about it, hate house cleaning as well. Should have been born a princess with a fleet of maids and gardeners to tend to my needs. My two grand nieces are into this princess thing. Madison, who just turned three is so into the Little Mermaid scene. She calls her grandmother, Ursala which I get a perverse kick out of and her Dad, is Prince Eric. It is so funny how unique, we are right out of the womb. How we can become so homgenized, if we allow ourselves to be as we mature.


The Group of Nine has a show in the Warwick Library coming up in November.  Today, checked out the present show down there. The artist is an acquaintance and took the group's concept of painting the town and ran with it. They told us about it and said, they would only do the downtown area. They sure did every nook and cranny plus some of the local landscapes. They are a good artist too boot.  Now, the gauntlet is down to be more creative and see the town from a truly unique perspective.  As an outsider visiting a town going to need to absorb the flavor and view it on its emotional level rather than just a visual copy of the buildings and landscapes.  Think down deep we all try to do that but most of the time just mimic or copy what we see and not absorb the emotional vibe of a place. Always felt that was very important in art to catch the vibe, energy or soul of the subject. My early work tended to be personifications of in animate objects.Think that is why love VanGogh's work because it is so emotionally charged and then other pieces evoke emotions from us in other ways.  Heard people fall in love with a piece because it reminded them of something, a place, thing or a feeling. So how to emotionally charge a landscape? Make it come alive using water and pigment...have a lot to ponder tonight...why is the sky blue and more.


  I went into "buzzard" mode scouting a painting location and took a drive down to Pine Island/Warwick area. Couldn't believe the huge lakes that were really  farms, it was heart breaking. We think the poor farmers  and their financial losses but it is also all the man hours, the field workers and the packers. 

Tonight someone emailed me this link, of colored slides from the 1939--43  from the Library of Congress.  sort of timely with thinking about farmers and stuff.

  http://extras.denverpost.com/archive/captured.asp

My "Buzzard Mobile" shot down by friendly fire

What a nice day...off the Bear Mt Inn to paint. Stopped for a bagel and over heard some conversations about how bad the storm damage was in the park. Trees down, roads washed out and a dam on the Harriman estate broke. Met up with one of the painters, we went to move the cars in the lot to be seen better. I parked and then "wham". My ice tea in the dashboard  cup holder went flying as my mind registered what the"wham" was after my head snapped back in position. My poor Fit got hit in the rear drivers side. A friend lost her brakes as they were parking behind me.  Needless to say that ended my thoughts of  painting for the day.The park police came and wrote the report. Dropped car off at a body shop and was lucky to get a rental car. Got a Toyota Sienna, cool mini van, as soon as the adjuster comes I will be put into a roller skate as soon as one becomes available. Live out of my car so, transferring my belongings from the Fit to the Sienna was twenty minutes of sweaty labor, no comments from the peanut gallery. I was so calm all day, it is getting scary. Not that I was ever high strung or that easily angered (maybe not true on this one)   but this super mellowness is new to me. Hearing myself utter,  "It's better to hit me in a parking lot than, if you lost your brakes in traffic or on a winding (spell?) road. " Wouldn't have never come out of my mouth a few years ago . More like "Oh, SH-T!!!!!!!!" or "My CARrrrr!" Who is this mellow creature living in my body? Did she develop from well over ten years of what I thought was useless therapy and old age. Scary...

My "Buzzard Mobile" shot down by friendly fire or my Hit Fit

 Next week going to try and get up to the Basha Kill most likely on Thursday. I have to find out how the roads are up there. Still getting over seeing all the local damage. It was sad to pass houses with stuff piled in the yard or driveway. The most pathetic and heartbreaking sight was, Weirs being cleaned up, it is one of the best ice cream places in this area. sigh....

Last minute .....Bear Mountain Aug 31

I wanted to cash in on the beautiful weather and go back up to the Basha Kill. The Irene aftermath of washed out roads and bridges decided to stay closer to home. Bear Mt around 10am tomorrow. Planning to go back to Bear Mt on a Saturday sometime in mid to late September.

Saranac and More

Coming home last Sunday was a joy. We were worried that the weather was going to be bad between Saranac Lake and home. It turned out the weather system was out of the area. A week later, we sit here waiting for a hurricane to hit after a week where many people expierienced an earthquake for the first time.   


 The Saranac trip was great, we had great weather. Being the second time for me and being familar with the terrain made it far less stressful. The area is so pretty. Came from Lake Piseco and the views along Rt 30 into Saranac, were a painter's dream. There was one lake that the road crossed that had several small seaplanes docked and a lake where the sky was hued in peach glow just breathtaking. The first day is optional painting of the town, where the artists donate a 5x7 painting for a local charity, this year is was for the Historic Restoration Group.
Call my car, "The Buzzard Mobile" since tending to circle an area many times till a view captures my artistic eye and touches my soul. Spotted this bright yellow canoe in the window of a music store next door to a small nursery. Three passes later parked and set up my easel just behind my car.  My only regret was losing my New England Patriots mug that fell under my car and I forgot to pick it up.

Ampersound Music Store

The next morning we were to paint at Paul Smith's College Visitor Center. There was a scene that I wanted to do last year so Lita and I started out before 6am to get it done before reporting to Paul's Smiths. On White Oak Rd , there is this little bridge that straddles a marshy stream. Both sides have nice views I chose to do the north side because there was a tall leaning pine that caught my eye last year as I painted the other side.

Lonesome Pine sold

After a hearty breakfast, we proceeded up to paint at the Paul Smith's Visitor Center. There Lita met up with Bruce and they went off to paint one of the marshes. Being so out of shape and my achilles tendon screaming, I went to the Butterfly garden area and was inspired by the black eyed susies. My apologies is if misnamed the flower not much of a gardener. I officially broke in my new Craig Young handmade palette doing flowers of all things.. I have to reshoot the painting but here is one of my models.

One of my models

What was so cool about painting at the center was meeting and talking with the visitors.  They were so enthusiastic and that energy does spur one on.  On the way to the back deck for painting #3 of the day, passed a bird handler with an owl telling stories. He related one when he was a newbie, in the North West, of an old female Big Horned owl. She wasn't particularly friendly and despised him. He entered the room where she sat on her perch and took off across the room dragging her 35lb perch and nailed him in the ear. He showed us the scar. He offered one of his Barn owl as a model but time was not on my side.  There on the deck met several local artists. 

View from Paul Smith Mt Regis

Now you would think after cranking out three paintings it would be nap time. Met up with the crew, Lita. Bruce and Richie. This was Richie's first travel paint out, from the pantry into the fire. We all have to start some where. My first  travel paint out was one up in Niagra Falls and had a blast. It cured me of performance anxiety of painting in public. It was like painting on a crowded subway train.

Anyway, we all went out to paint by an old bridge on Rt 3 heading up towards  Plattsburgh. Well, it was so nice, the light had a warmth to it and soon the bugs came a biting. Painting watercolor when you are tired and hungry leads to mistakes....figured out how to save the painting and then hosed it.

Bend on the  River

I have problems with reflections but there are elements that work.  Going to do a redo this one, in the near future. Did a painting outside of Lake Piesco several years ago, a swamp scene in oil. The reflections were off and it distorted the scene. Need to pay more attention to the big details, especially reflections. After a late dinner and a visit to friends who rented a house on Flower Lake, it was time to get some shut eye. We agreed to get on the road by 6am.

Back on Rt 3, across from a sand pit, there was this old birch tree that caught my eye the night before. felt good about my painting but it needed a little tweaking. Stopped across from the hospital to do a lake scene. Think I was attracted by the old birches that surrounded me. The finished painting left me flat and my tail was dragging. Did seven paintings in 3 days.  Went back to the motel and met up with the crew. It was now tweaking and framing time. We sat out at the motel painting, framing  and listening to good music. What a way to spend an afternoon. My tweaks led to the result of over painting my birch. After a quick Subway dinner, framed and restarted  my Old Birch painting, finished up in the wee  hours.  The tree  came out a bit chunkier than my early morning painting because it had to fit my only remaining frame and needed to enlarge the image. One thing I also learned from this trip for future  paint outs.... don't use unusual mat sizes. This is the first time and last time I will do that, it takes away from the flexibility of shifting paintings around in the frames. You also tend to paint for the frame and not for the view.

Old Birch on Rt 3

Sunday was show time. we hung three paintings each at the Town Hall. It is so humbling to be surrounded by great paintings. We had to leave so the work could be judged. The doors were open to the public at noon and several of my buddies won big prizes, congrats to Chrissy, Crista and Tarryl. They had a door prize table for the artists. I had sold my Lonesome Pine painting and scored a door prize. They had some nice prizes but being a "bag nut" spied a small messenger bag with Plein Air magazine on it. It turned out to be loaded with goodies. Again a good time was had by all. It is such a pretty area and the co ordinators of the event are so gracious to all the artists. Hope to be able to do it again next year.

Go north old woman

Go north old woman! That is the wake up call for tomorrow. Heading up to Delanson to visit my best friend and maybe do a little painting. The Leatherstocking region is complete with rolling hills and unique barns. One time when visiting Linda, noticed the barn doors have a distinct design to them unlike the ones in this area. Tried to find my photos of the barns from that trip but they probably were lost in the great "hard drive" crash of 2010. If I can't paint will  try and shoot some. My next stop will be with the Thrones up in Lake Piesco, their family has a house right on the lake. This year they worked hard to get a new steel roof on the place. We will be heading up to  the 2011 Adirondack Plein Air Festival at Saranac Lake, NY, August 18 - 21, 2011.

 On the road to Paul Smith's college

Last year was the first time we attended and my first trip to that area of New York. It was beautiful. The coordinators of the event were very gracious to the artists. We painted the town the first day and donated a 5x7 painting to an art group as a fund raiser. The next two days we explored the area and painted. We also found a cool BBQ place with a giant lobster at the gate. The food was great. The last day ended with my being the first to sell and Bruce Throne, Lita Throne, Christa Pisano, Tarryl  Gable, Laura Martinez Bianco  and others were prize winners. I included the link below of the Slide show from last years event.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp;jsessionid=1E4D2F4AD4830DD510334C6C5B44DB5E.ecom304_main?sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee&_requestid=222722

Hoping this year to be a fun time for myself and all my fellow artists. People have asked me, how can you call it fun having to produce a painting with a deadline while being at the influence of the elements, the heat, rain, cold, the bugs, etc. It is hard to explain but if you love what you are doing the rest doesn't matter. It is also the challenging yourself to do the best you can in a strange surrounding. I love it. Doing the, " let the sunshine" chant this week but throwing my rain gear in just in case. Have to finish my packing, art gear done, clothes and meds almost done but the electronic gathering of cables, battery chargers and such still not done.Later

Thursday Aug 11 Newburgh Water Front

This ia sort of last minute, I will be painting down in Newburgh along the waterfront or restaurant row, Thursday morning around 9 ish. Going to start out close to Torches. Really wanted to go to Long Dock but they were paving the road today. Don't think it is open full time yet. Love the view of Newburgh from Beacon. Later this season a definite painting site.